New research shows that while elite runners peak at age 35, the people who plod along in the middle of the pack don't peak until they're 50.
A new study examined 16 years of data from the Chicago, New York and Boston marathons. Researchers set out to determine the age at which elite runners and recreational runners -- or the average runner, defined as the median finisher within each age group -- begin to slow. They found that the fastest marathoners among men and women are in the 25 to 34 age group and that performance begins to decline for elite runners around age 35.
One finding surprised them: Recreational runners have much more in the tank at 35 and can continue improving until they're 50.
But also, some bad news. Once we turn 35, our muscle mass, bone density and maximal aerobic capacity begin to decrease. This means the ability to maintain high-intensity exercise also begins to diminish. As people age, they tend to reduce the volume and intensity of training because of these factors.
Or perhaps we never trained hard at all because it was too uncomfortable.
This new study offers hope for recreational runners who are running to finish instead of racing for time. Continuing the full-tank analogy, we are each given one tank of gas. That tank empties slowly in our 20s and 30s, but once we hit 35, it starts emptying at a faster rate.
The goal is to slow that emptying.
Gerald Zavorsky, associate professor in the Department of Respiratory Therapy at Georgia State University and one of the authors of the study, says that recreational runners have more gas because they've never pushed themselves like elite runners. "The average runners might push themselves much later in life even though their physical peak has passed," says Zavorsky. "Because they never pushed themselves when they were younger, they can hold themselves longer."
James Smoliga, associate professor of physiology in the Department of Physical Therapy at High Point (N.C.) University and another co-author of the study, is similarly optimistic about the recreational runner. The median runner in the 25-to-34-year-old group in their study ran about a four-hour marathon. Smoliga says that "the median runner, if healthy, is physiologically capable of running a lot faster. Many people in this group could likely run three hours or less, but they don't, simply due to lack of training."
But a 35-year-old who starts intense training tomorrow will perform better than ever for the next 10 years because he has never pushed his physiological limits. For example, he might be genetically capable of running a 3:30 marathon, but his fitness level allows only a 5-hour effort. In 10 years, while his genetic capability may diminish to allow him to run only a 4-hour race, increased training could get him close to his maximum, maybe to a 4:05.
"Age is no excuse," Smoliga says. "If a 40-year-old says he's slower than a 25-year-old, I'm not sure that counts anymore. Our bodies are capable of performing at a high level later in life than we think."
INTERVAL TRAINING
"Many recreational runners keep doing the same thing," Smoliga says. "If anything, they just make their long runs longer, or they increase the distance of their daily runs. If somebody is already capable of running 26.2 miles at a relatively slow pace, more running at the same pace won't help them run faster."
Speed work through interval training is an easy way to get faster by improving aerobic capacity. But speed work means oxygen debt -- which means discomfort. Zavorsky recommends interval training twice a week to maintain capacity, workouts like mile repeats at your half-marathon pace or half-mile repeats at your five-mile-race pace. Smoliga says that "even running five miles hard can benefit a marathon runner. Or a 10-mile run with a few hard surges thrown in will achieve both endurance training and some speed training."
A critical part of any training program is recovery after those workouts. But recovery doesn't mean relaxing. Rachel Miller, a physical therapist and certified running coach at ProAction Physical Therapy in Rockville, Md., recommends giving your body more recovery time through active rest. This involves doing other types of exercise that don't pound the legs.
"You don't have to train less, but you have to train smarter. Have a purpose to each of your runs," Miller says. Active rest can mean walking, swimming or easy spinning. "Recovery is underrated, and rest time becomes more important as we age. Running on fatigued legs invites injury."
Recovery actually trains your body to tolerate longer and faster runs. And if you're new to speed work, Miller suggests finding a running group or a partner.
"Misery loves company," she says. So if you're going to suffer, at least suffer collectively.
Ben Opipari is a former track coach and founder of Persuasive Matters, a legal-writing consulting company.
ActiveStyle on 03/13/2017